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Missing Clipper Ships
To avoid any gaping article stubs where information will be lacking for quite some time, I decided to consolidate everything I have obtained on missing clipper ships into one good sized article. Alrighty so, looking at the clippers of old... Part I The Cape Horn Route One of the first clippers ever built, the Rainbow (see my page on her for more specifics) sailed on a voyage to China from New York in 1848 on her 4th voyage, intending to put in at Valparaiso Chile along the way. She sailed off and was never seen again. The sensible speculation among many nautical buffs is that she sank off Cape Horn. Then followed the Dauntless, bound for Valparaiso Chile from Boston. She too vanished, and it is believed, sank off Cape Horn in October 1853. Manitou followed, lost in 1859 from Boston to San Francisco without a trace. Tragically there are some details about the next one, the Black Prince. Enroute from San Francisco to Boston with a cargo of copper ore in 1865, she remarked in passing to a British ship near Argentina she needed provisions, had water in the hold and had to jettison 80 tons of cargo. The next day a storm hit, and the Black Prince vanished without a trace, while the British steamer survived. I wonder, where are these fine craft now? Part II Other locations The water of the Far East had its perils too. The Edwin Forrest while heading from New York to Hong Kong in August 1860 vanished without a trace. Then came the Queen of the Seas. In company with another ship from Liverpool to Shanghai in 1860 in September, she was met by an 8 day long gale. She is supposed to have sank on the night of September 21st 1860, but no trace was ever found.Then came the Mckay clipper Bald Eagle. Sailing from Hong Kong to San Francisco in October 1861 with tea, rice and $100,000 in gold, she vanished. The general money is on a typhoon that hit around mid October in the area, however, piracy is a not far fetched theory given her cargo. Another Mckay clipper, the beautiful Romance of the Seas left Hong Kong in mid December 1862 for San Francisco and was posted missing in April 1863, no trace was ever found. Then came the Houqua, vanished en-route from Japan to New York in August 1864, probably due to a typhoon. And on a voyage from Burma to Falmouth England, the clipper Rival vanished. In September 1862, the small clipper Waverly went missing sailing from Coringa India to Calcutta India, probably due to a cyclone (tornado). The Monarch Of The Seas vanished in March 1866 on a voyage from Liverpool, her destination has remained unknown ever since she departed. A tragic missing ship is probably the clipper Driver, setting out from Ireland to New York in February 1856 with 372 people on board, she was never seen again, due to a storm probably. The Boston clipper Grace Darling was spotted in January 1878, 15 days out at sea en-route to San Francisco from British Columbia, hove to under reduced sails in a storm. That was the last anyone saw of her, and she is supposed to have sank with a heavy coal cargo. Then finally, the famous Young America departed from Delaware for England in February 1886, and vanished, without a trace. Part III Theories Develop your own theories on these ships. I tend to say storms, but what do you think? Category:Clipper Ships Category:Clippers that Vanished Category:Wrecks Category:Ship Debates Category:Mysterious Vanishings